Well, it was just released here yesterday. The showing I went to was rather packed out, and you can tell it took the cinema by surprise (they had no ushers assigned to this movie, so it was simultaneously "sold out" and "go anywhere"). I don't know if that's a good omen for its future commercial performance here, or just first night curiousity, but anyway..
I should start by saying that my expectations were rock bottom after the American reviews. So it may not be too surprising to discover that...I didn't actually find it that bad at all. In fact I enjoyed it, possibly because I knew not to expect the typical hollywood action flick.
Yes, the pacing is very very slow. And yes, it's annoying that Hopkins glosses over large parts of his life without the merest sight of them (but how would you squeeze that all in to 3 hours anyway?). Yes, the acting is bad in places. Yes, the eagle is annoying. Yes, the action is spread too thinly for the masses.
But it still managed to entertain me. Jolie was good, I thought. I looked forward to her appearances in the movie.
Farrell didn't really have the weight you might need, possibly. I kept thinking to myself after his war speeches that I wouldn't have followed him into battle.
The battles were very good though - gritty, large and realistic.
The accents aren't as annoying as I was led to believe. Being from Ireland there's a certain novelty to seeing everyone with an Irish accent, but they stop sticking out after 20 mins or so. It was also entertaining to spot all the irish faces in the movie (for anyone in ireland: miley from glenroe even makes an appearance!).
I guess the thing I was most interested in seeing was the treatment of Alexander's relationships. In this respect it both surprised (pleasantly) and puzzled me. On the plus side, Stone makes it quite clear who he thinks Alexander really loved - Hephaestion. The marraige to Roxanne is really just reduced to a means of providing Alexander with an heir. It was less Alexander the bisexual and more Alexander the gay to my viewing.
That was the puzzling bit though - although their devotion to one another is explicit in words, everything physical with Hephaestion is implicit. There is far more physical affection/lust for Bagoas (even if they do cut away at opportune moments), which just seemed a little odd to me.
All in all, I guess I was glad I saw it, even if it certainly wasn't as good as I originally expected (before its american release). I liked it more than Troy, even though they probably don't bear much comparison at all - they are completely different movies. I'll probably get the DVD - if one thing struck me during the entire movie, it was that battle scenes aside, this will probably be more suited to home viewing. But if you're looking for a different type of epic and can stand some unfortunate timing and acting in parts, I'd recommend a cinema viewing.
I should start by saying that my expectations were rock bottom after the American reviews. So it may not be too surprising to discover that...I didn't actually find it that bad at all. In fact I enjoyed it, possibly because I knew not to expect the typical hollywood action flick.
Yes, the pacing is very very slow. And yes, it's annoying that Hopkins glosses over large parts of his life without the merest sight of them (but how would you squeeze that all in to 3 hours anyway?). Yes, the acting is bad in places. Yes, the eagle is annoying. Yes, the action is spread too thinly for the masses.
But it still managed to entertain me. Jolie was good, I thought. I looked forward to her appearances in the movie.
Farrell didn't really have the weight you might need, possibly. I kept thinking to myself after his war speeches that I wouldn't have followed him into battle.
The battles were very good though - gritty, large and realistic.
The accents aren't as annoying as I was led to believe. Being from Ireland there's a certain novelty to seeing everyone with an Irish accent, but they stop sticking out after 20 mins or so. It was also entertaining to spot all the irish faces in the movie (for anyone in ireland: miley from glenroe even makes an appearance!).
I guess the thing I was most interested in seeing was the treatment of Alexander's relationships. In this respect it both surprised (pleasantly) and puzzled me. On the plus side, Stone makes it quite clear who he thinks Alexander really loved - Hephaestion. The marraige to Roxanne is really just reduced to a means of providing Alexander with an heir. It was less Alexander the bisexual and more Alexander the gay to my viewing.
Just when you think a straight relationship is about to become the focus (during his wedding), Hephaestion pops up with a ring and for another manly hug.
Also, Hephaestion's death scene..dear lord. Talk about comedic timing. Alexander weeps over an obviously ill Hephaestion, floats over to a window - cue a minute of selfish fantasizing over his own future greatness (admittedly with Heph at his side) and then: bam! Turns around, and Hephaestion is stone cold. It was :lol and 
All in all, I guess I was glad I saw it, even if it certainly wasn't as good as I originally expected (before its american release). I liked it more than Troy, even though they probably don't bear much comparison at all - they are completely different movies. I'll probably get the DVD - if one thing struck me during the entire movie, it was that battle scenes aside, this will probably be more suited to home viewing. But if you're looking for a different type of epic and can stand some unfortunate timing and acting in parts, I'd recommend a cinema viewing.